Website straying off topic

Would Google penalize a domain or URL's within domain for being unrelated?

[StickyNote]

Will Google penalize me for straying off the main topic of a website (domain)?

For example, say I have a commercial website selling A-type widgets. Eventually I notice that AB-type widgets are selling well, so I create and link to a hierarchy of pages about AB-type and B-type widgets using same domain, no sub-domain.

Later I see that I can sell lots of BC-type widgets so I again link to a hierarchy of pages about BC and C-type widgets, same domain.

At this point the C-type wigdets are very unrelated to the original A-type widgets. Will Google penalize a domain, or individual URLS within the domain for being 'off topic'?

[Quadrille]

If I read you right, all this is taking place on one domain?

No problem.

[skweb]

Each page (not domain) has its own identity and that is what counts towards ranking. To give you a good example, on Blogspot you can have a page with any topic and still rank just fine. I have done that with several domains - start with dating, then add weddings, honeymoon, personal finance for couples, college education funds, and so on.

Just keep creating good content and there is nothing to worry. The more page on a domain the better.

[StickyNote]

Yes, same domain, and thank you for the replies. Good point about Blogspot.

The reason for my concern was that about six months ago I added some links out to museums on a few pages of a 6 year old e-commerce website. The links were on-topic for the specific pages, but not really related to the overall theme of this particular e-commerce site.

Shortly after this, when I did a 'related:www.mydomain.com/anyPageFroMySite.htm' search in Google, most of the off-domain results are either museums, or museum type websites. Even the home page for this domain was 'related:' to museums, and no longer 'related:' to similar e-commerce sites.

Over the last couple of months some 'related:' queries for specific pages have reverted back to truely related e-commerce sites, some have not.

Because of this, it made me question whether the thematic relationship of the domain as a whole factors into the ranking equation of individual URLs within the domain to any degree?

[Quadrille]

A mixed site will confuse the 'related' search (related to what? thinks Google!), but I very much doubt that matters in the real world.

What does matter is individual searches that match page content on your site; and there's no danger of mixed content interfering with that; none at all.

The only reason I'd worry at all is if visitors might be confused, especially those arriving from Google.

If your site features moon rockets and cabbage patch dolls, you don't want doll searchers landing on blue cheese, or moon searchers thinking they've found an alien!

If that's a risk, then I'd spend $8.00 on a new domain (and banish the CPdolls!). Actually, I'dstart the new site for the item that currently raises the leats income, as the new site will take a while to get going - but site-splitting is a whole new question, and there's plenty of good tips to be had ...

[StickyNote]

if visitors might be confused

The linking structure makes each topic logical and helpful to visitors- that's why I wanted to keep everything on the same domain.

What does matter is individual searches that match page content on your site; and there's no danger of mixed content interfering with that; none at all.

I have not yet seen any indication of interference, only the 'related:' weirdness.

I have been writing a new topic branch for this site, logical, but further straying off topic from original pages, and wanted to double check this issue. Thank's for the input.